It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark the anniversary of the end of World War I (major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect).

Craig Hullinger - This was written by a Marine friend of mine.

2 Jun 2004 Ron Wozniak wrote:

Memorial Day and a Very Important PS

Early Monday morning I gave a concerned look at Katieand wondered why she was not ready for school yet. Iknew she had off, but wanted to jack her chain a bit.She did not fall for it, and looking at me with that"child knowing everything and parent knowing nothinglook," she promptly told me it was Memorial Day, andshe had no school.

I was surprised she even knew it was Memorial Day, butthen asked her what that meant. Well, she didn't know,so then I told her how after the American Civil War,Southern women saw that many Confederate and Unionsoldiers who were killed in the fighting, did not havemarked graves. They felt sorry for them, so far fromhome, and no one to properly take care of their grave,let alone mark it. It started as a tradition and spreadtill eventually it caught on across the nation, It wasoriginally called Decoration Day, and finally thePresident of the United States declared the last Mondayof May as Memorial Day. I told her about Punchbowl and how I saw on the news

that the Boy Scouts were out there placing an American

Flag at each Veterans' grave. One Boy Scout who was

interviewed, placed 200 flags himself, and in all 35,000

small American Flags were put in the ground next to each

grave marker. She expressed an interest to visit it, even

though she initially said , "Dead people are bad and scary,

and would not want to see all the decaying bodies."

I explained that they were not bad people, and asked if she

thought her Grandparents, who she loved so much were

bad people. She really did not mean "bad" as being terrible

mean people. I told her the Veterans were buried under the

ground and covered with nice grass, and the cemetery had

lots of trees, bushes, and flowers. I asked her if she was

ever at a cemetery, and she replied, "No." She actually had,

but did not remember being at the cemetery when her

Grandparents died.

So, we headed out on the Windward coastal ride, tookour time, and visited, the Federal VA Cemetery of thePacific, Punchbowl. There were thousands ofAmerican Flags, all in neat rows, up and down theslopes of the dormant volcano overlookingHonolulu...quite a sight. As we drove down one lane Inoticed an American Flag that had blown over, stoppedthe jeep, got out, and up righted it, got back in andcontinued on. Then we saw there were more fallen over,I stopped again, and eventually Linda and Katie joinedme in up righting more flags, and flower pots, that hadblown over. I was real proud of both of them.

We visited the immense monument depicting the Battle ofthe Pacific, and let Katie go at her own pace, askingquestions and wanting to "touch" the mosaic maps of thedifferent campaigns and battles. I think she wanted totouch them just because they were fenced off.

Anyway we got back home about 1800, had Mahi Mahi onthe grill and ate outside with the tiki torchesgoing...really nice and relaxing.

Words are inadequate in trying to express the feelingsof the officers and men of this organization over thedeath of your son, Walter Anderson.

Early in this training phase Walter was singled out asan outstanding noncommissioned officer, and wasassigned the duties of Platton Sgt. over numeroussenior Sgts. Such an assignment meant that Walter wassecond in command of thirty-eight men. While serving insuch a capacity the men in his platoon soon realizedand appreciated his fine qualities, namely, fairness,coolness, and a great deal of common sense.

During the operation S/Sgt. Anderson became platooncommander, again in which capacity he skillfully ledhis men. For above action I have recommended thatS/Sgt. Anderson be awarded the Bronze Star. Walter wasstruck by rifle fire and died shortly afterward.

Please feel free to call upon me for additionalinformation you may desire.

Military restrictions are such that any information youmay desire concerning grave locations, dispostiions ofremains, effects, and other related matters will befurnished by the Quartermaster General.

You have the deepest sympathy of the men and officersof this organization in your bereavement.

Yours most sincerely

RENE E. MAYSONAVECapt. InfantryCommanding

________________

Murdo, S. D

December 20, 1991

Dear Craig:

Walt graduated from Murdo High School in 1936, duringthe worst of the big depression. It was next toimpossible to get a job but he worked for Ednaand Helmer Liffengren most of the time until 1940.

He was one of the first volunteers for service and leftfrom Murdo in January 1941. Basic Training in CampRoberts in California, later in Fort Ord, CA. Hisoutfits stormed ashore on an island in the Aleutions,Alaska sometime before 1943, but the Japanese had allleft so they went on to Hawaii. Walt was a very goodall around athlete so he was picked to take Rangertraining while there. A very tough course, so they say.

The Navy had shelled the small island of Kwajelein,about a mile wide and two deep for days until not atree was standing but when the infantry went in therewere still enemy in underground bunkers who came outand shot 3 or 4 hundred of our men. Walt was one ofthem, on February 4, 1944. His body was buried nearbyuntil the war was over. With the parents request, heis buried in the National Cemetery in Hawaii, the verybeautiful Punch Bowl. We were there in 1974.

My Uncle received the Bronze Star 50 years after he earned it. My cousin knew the story that the award had been recommended, but lost in the shuffle. He wrote to his Congressman. They found the citation, and awarded it to the family.